Just three months ago, Birmingham and Blackpool played out a thrilling
play-off semi-final which the team in tangerine shirts edged on away goals.

But three months in the life of the unpredictable Championship must seem like an eternity to Birmingham fans after being within touching distance of Wembley.

While Blackpool now top the division with a faultless record, their semi-final adversaries are barely stuttering into life with a mere point to their name.

Birmingham City travelled to Watford on Saturday and, for both sides, goals for or against had come mostly in the final minutes their first two games. But on this occasion Watford went in front after just two when Almen Abdi converted a penalty following Steven Caldwell’s hapless shove on Matej Vydra.

While the torrential rain abated, Gianfranco Zola’s men flooded into the goalmouth guarded by Jack Butland and the England international did well to repel Martin Taylor’s header moments later.

Butland could, however, do nothing to stop the exciting Vydra extending Watford’s lead after the Czech had evaded the visitors’ weary attempt at an offside trap. Lee Clark, as Huddersfield manager, presided over a record-breaking 43-game unbeaten run but he is seeing little evidence of obduracy from his current charges. Birmingham have conceded six goals in three games.

“We contributed massively to our own downfall and in general it was a very poor performance in the first half,” he said.

Vydra, meanwhile, has twice demonstrated his slick finishing this season, also firing in a crisp strike on the opening day at Crystal Palace, and is adapting to the demands of a new footballing culture even more quickly than Zola had hoped.

“He’s a good player,” said Zola, “and we know that he needs to learn to become more of a team player. The way we play is everyone has the mentality where they help to defend.

“Vydra is young. I saw him a couple of times in the Italian championship but obviously he is surprising me with how good he is becoming.”

Vydra is one of seven players to arrive from Serie A club Udinese and Spanish side Granada which also belong to Watford’s owners, the Pozzo family, though Zola included only three in his starting line-up.